Not only do we have to worry about our investments nosediving, but now we need to worry about our flights on even the most reputable airlines doing the same.

Qantas, Australia's largest carrier and renowned for its safety record, was involved in some mid-air trauma yesterday. A flight from Singapore to Perth made an emergency landing after an Airbus A330-300 suddenly dropped altitude. As many as 74 passengers and crew were injured, some with broken bones and lacerations, officials said.

A fleet of emergency vehicles met the plane when it made an emergency landing at the Learmonth air force base, about 680 miles northwest of Perth.

We can only hope that the once heralded airline gets its act together and that all those hurt in the drama get well soon so they can enjoy the incredible, isolated, modern city that is Perth.

Related Stories:
· Computer Glitch Caused Qantas Dive [The Australian]
· These Particular Qantas Passengers More Than Allowed to Clap on Touchdown [Jaunted]

[Photo: tripletrouble]]]> ced138 2008-10-08T09:01:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/22/223342/721

Flying 'roo Qantas can't catch a break at the moment. Sure, there was brief excitement when their first A380 plane arrived in Sydney, but it didn't take long for everyone to find something to complain about again.

This time it was an airport evacuation of the Qantas terminal at Brisbane Monday afternoon, all because three Qantas passengers managed to wander into a secured area without being screened. Better safe than sorry, Qantas decided to evacuate the whole terminal and re-screen everybody.

As you'd expect, this took more than a couple of minutes, and twenty Qantas flights were delayed by up to an hour. And that means there are hundreds more anti-Qantas thoughts being thought today.

Related Stories:
· Brisbane Airport Evacuated After Security Breach [ABC]
· A380 Planes: Flying Kangaroo is Next in Line [Jaunted]
· Brisbane Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: tripletrouble]
]]> amandak 2008-09-23T09:30:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/22/61550/3072

With Qantas finally taking delivery of its first, long-awaited A380 yesterday, the battle of business class in the super-jumbos is really starting to heat up.

Over the weekend, a totally biased review from an Australian journalist who got a free seat on the A380's maiden flight into Sydney claimed that Qantas's layout in business class is the best because it "provides ... the biggest sense of space."

If space is not everything, then the other airlines already flying the A380 might actually be the winners. Emirates has a business cabin layout that gives everyone privacy plus a personal minibar. And Singapore Airlines has the world's widest seat, plus double beds, though you're not allowed to get up to any fun in them.

Related Stories:
· Which Airline Has the Best A380? [The Australian]
· A380 Planes: Flying Kangaroo is Next in Line [Jaunted]
· No Sex, Please: We're on Singapore Airlines [Jaunted]

[Photo: NguyenDai]]]> amandak 2008-09-22T09:30:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/19/790/54736

Emirates might've been grounding its A380 recently, but Aussie airline Qantas is getting very excited about picking up its first A380 this week.

Eight long years and $200 million in delay compensation payments after it was ordered, the Qantas A380 will touch down in Sydney early on Sunday morning, if all goes according to plan.

Qantas is desperate for some good publicity. On top of all its recent mechanical snags, its just been "awarded" the title of the airline with the most delays on Australian domestic flights. Boss Geoff Dixon reckons the A380 will help Qantas "reinvent the airline experience." We just hope it's a positive experience that he's talking about.

Related Stories:
· Qantas Unveils A380 Super Jumbo in France [Herald Sun]
· Qantas Is Worst for Delayed Domestic Flights [Courier Mail]
· Coming Soon: A380 Kangaroos [Jaunted]

[Photo: mathoov]]]> amandak 2008-09-19T09:00:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/12/74537/6975

Here at Jaunted we can have travel geek tendencies. We've been loving the paperless ticket world for a long time and love to check-in online too but have still been annoyed at how often we need to print out our own boarding pass--easy at home, not easy on the road. But slowly we're seeing alternatives and we like that a lot.

This week it's Aussie airline Qantas that's taking the paperless travel ideal further. From early next year they're introducing an entirely paperless check-in option which will involve passengers getting a barcode sent to their cell phone for scanning at the boarding gate.

Two reasons we especially love this kind of airline geekiness: Less paper (we're green, too) and harder to lose--our cell phone is always near. We can't wait to get our first mobile barcode.

Related Stories:
· Mobile Phones and PDAs to Act As Qantas Boarding Passes [The Australian]
· Subway Travel: London's Oyster Coming to Cell Phones [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tom Loth]
]]> amandak 2008-09-12T09:30:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/22/104039/872

Even profitable airlines are looking to merge these days! The latest to announce its intentions is Qantas, which raked in $843 million over the past year. Despite the gains, the Aussie airline suspects that fuel prices aren't about to plummet.

CEO Geoff Dixon, who's leaving his position in fewer than 100 days, says:

[Consolidation] is happening now: the Lufthansa-Swissair alliance, the KLM-Air France deal, BA in merger with Iberia, Delta and Northwest have announced talks.

And in the coming years, Australians in general and the authorities in Australia specifically are going to have to realise that, as strong as Qantas is and as big as it is, that it will have to have some form of consolidation.

One carrier we bet the Flying Kangaroo won't be talking with? V Australia, which just got government approval to fly from Sydney to South Africa.

Related Stories:
· No Airline Is an Island [The Australian]
· Qantas Reports Record Profit Despite Woes [AFP, via Google]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: SpacePotato]]]> pbb 2008-08-22T10:45:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/25/91040/3479

Passengers on a Qantas 747-400 got to try out emergency oxygen masks yesterday when the cabin depressurized as a chunk of the cargo bay blew off the airplane. The flight, QF 30, operates from London to Hong Kong to Melbourne, and it was on that second leg when the accident occurred. The pilot put the jumbo jet down in Manila, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where there were no injuries reported among the more than 300 passengers and crew.

Leave it to an Aussie to be totally rational about the wild ride:

There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first and the oxygen masks dropped down. It was absolutely terrifying, but I have to say everyone was very calm.

People were so relaxed that flight attendants were actually working the aisles wearing portable oxygen masks, which totally impresses us.

After landing in Manila, passengers deplaned for a bit then got back on another aircraft that was specifically sent to pick them up. Hope there were free cocktails!

Related Stories:
· Qantas Jet Lands with Hole in Fuselage [AP, via Google]
· Hole in Jet Forces Emergency Landing [IHT]
· Qantas coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Raw passenger video taken on-board]]]> pbb 2008-07-25T09:18:23-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/